With “an understanding heart” (1 Ki 3:9), Solomon foresaw both human failure and divine forgiveness. Solomon had prophesied it (1 Ki 8:46-50). The Lord had promised it (9:3). Daniel had prayed it (Dan 6:10; 9:3-19). The angel Gabriel proclaimed it (v 24). Now the people were practicing it (see Ezra 2:1-70). What was IT? Solomon’s prayer included […]
CHRIST the VISITOR: “The Dayspring from on high has visited us” (Lk 1:78). More often than not, we find the Lord Jesus sitting by the seaside or visiting in the homes of the needy. Zachaeus, Simon, Matthew, the synagogue ruler, Mary and Martha—all had the honor of having the Lord in their house. He came […]
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God” (Isa 41:10). Mark Guy Pearse tells a story he heard from two young men while visiting South Africa. They had three days’ holiday and decided to ride up-country. Entering a forest, they were startled by a terrible roar. “A lion,” […]
“When they saw the boldness of Peter and John…they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Queen Victoria had asked her chaplain if “‘one could be absolutely sure in this life of eternal safety?” He said he “knew of no way one could be absolutely sure.” John Townsend wrote the […]
Oh, if we could — by God’s grace — cultivate the same attitude as the boy with Down Syndrome on the soccer field, and then apply it to the Christian life, it would be impossible for us to lose. […]
It is a common argument, when discussing Isaiah 53 with a Jew, that the Servant of the Lord represents his suffering people, but Old Testament scholar Arnold Fruchtenbaum writes: “To interpret Isaiah 53 as speaking of Messiah is not non-Jewish. In fact, if we are to speak of the traditional Jewish interpretation, it would be […]
Nothing but precious vessels for the Lord’s house! It’s the same now. Are you a vessel of honor? (2 Tim 2:20-21). It was time to pack up and head back to Israel. Jerusalem lay in ruins. The temple had been trashed and torched. It was with faith, mingling with hope, that Cyrus said to the […]
Read More… from March 3, 2025 — The Mystery Of The Missing Knife
CHRIST the FACE of GOD: “It is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:6). Whose face was it that Jacob saw when he declared, “I […]
“My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word” (Ps 119:25). The word translated “my soul” (naphshi) is metonymy for “my life.” And “revive me” could well be translated “enliven me.” It seems that “the dust” refers to our bodies, and the psalmist speaks of the way we “hang on for dear […]